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East Coast country estate items heading up 400-lot sale

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – The entire contents of Somerset – an extraordinary English country estate manor located in West Stockbridge, Mass. – will headline a cataloged antique auction scheduled for Saturday, June 21st, by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery, in the firm’s spacious gallery located at 1485 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield. The sale will begin promptly at 11 a.m., Eastern time.

Somerset holds an exceptional selection of the finest 19th century antiques and accessories, to include quality antique furniture, lighting (by makers such as Tiffany, Duffner

In all, around 400 items will come up for bid from Somerset, as well as other prominent local estates and collections. Previews will be held on Friday, June 20th, from 10-5, and on Saturday, June 21st, from 8 a.m. until the first gavel falls at 11 a.m. Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the expected top lot of the auction is an antique clock – a category for which Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is renowned in the industry. Being sold is a 9-tube grandfather clock, housed in a beautiful figural carved oak “rat tail” case by R. J. Horner. The clock, 10 feet tall and with Westminster & Whittington movement, is estimated to gavel for $50,000-$75,000.

Lamps and lighting will feature a Tiffany Studios Arrowroot table lamp with 20-inch diameter conical form shade having 18 large arrowroot designs around the center of the shade in green glass, 26 inches tall and signed at the base (est. $25,000-$35,000); and a Quezal 12-light lily table lamp with original gold iridescent lily shades, 20 inches tall, signed (est. $8,000-$12,000).

R. J. Horner was one of America’s finest furniture makers of the 19th century, and his name will be chanted frequently on June 21st. A prime lot promises to be a figural carved “rat tail”oak hall bench, 105 inches in height, having a large pierced carved crest with center medallion flanked by winged maidens and griffins. The piece, in excellent condition, should bring $25,000-$35,000.

In the bronze and marble category, a large carved marble sculpture of a fisherman, signed on the back “A. Cipriani” and showing a standing man wearing loose clothing, with a fishing net slung over his shoulder, 50 ½ inches tall, should garner $10,000-$15,000; and a bronze winter scene of a troika drawn by a team of three horses driven by a standing man, by Russian artist Vasily Yakovlevich Grachev (1831-1905), on a marble base, signed in Cyrillic lettering, should hit $8,000-$10,000.

Two lots will appeal to bidding sportsmen. One is a beautiful slate pool table by Brunswick, Balke & Collender (with a metal tag for Monarch Cushions), having rosewood inlaid rails with mother of pearl markers (est. $8,000-$12,000). The other is a rare 1871-1872 Colt .44 Rimfire open top revolver with eagle and serpent carved ivory grips and engraved with a naval scene on its six-shot cylinder (est. $7,000-$9,000).

Back to furniture, a massive, heavily carved walnut marble-top huntboard with mirrored back, pierced carved serpentine sides, two shelves on either side of the mirror with fancy carved figural supports and a white marble-top base, 116 inches tall, should hit $15,000-$20,000; and a pair of J. H. Belter laminated rosewood side chairs in the Arabasket & Cornucopia pattern, with pierced carved backs, with elaborate framework and leaf and floral detail, should make $8,000-$12,000.

Hunting for an impressive bedroom set? Look no further, this sale’s got two. One is a Thomas Brooks Renaissance Revival queen-size carved walnut marble-top bedroom set, made circa 1875, with the excellent original finish (est. $15,000-$25,000). The other is a

monumental four-piece Eastlake carved marble-top walnut bedroom set, the finest that Fontaine’s Auction Gallery has sold from this period of American furniture, in great shape (est. $20,000-$30,000).

One lot that deserves mention for its sheer beauty and magnificence is a large leaded glass, eight-panel ceiling dome, eight feet in diameter (est. $10,000-$15,000). The eight panels have a green glass background with a pink outer edge and blue jeweled highlights. There is gold bordering along the inner edge and a fancy flowering central design on the sides. It’s a truly beautiful dome.

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is actively seeking quality consignments for future sales.To consign an item, estate or collection, call (413) 448-8922 and ask for John Fontaine. Or, e-mail info@fontainesauction.com. For more information about the upcoming June 21st auction, please log on to www.FontainesAuction.com

This 19th century Gold Rush era Bowie knife by Will and Finck, San Francisco, sold for nicely over estimate as serious collectors drove the final sale price to $6,500. (Photo courtesy Clars Auction Gallery)

Selling for $13,000, this 19th century Continental Renaissance style figural clock was executed in patinated metal with the figure of Atlas supporting the clock. (Photo courtesy Clars Auction Gallery)